Joined Together
by slythatheart
Summary: Part of the No Strings verse, follows Cementing Bonds. Sebastian and Dave planned to live together for a year after Dave finished his master's degree, then get married and move to New York. But life doesn't always go as expected and sometimes plans change. Minor character death (original character).


**Notes: **This is set over a period of time, from late 2016 and to the summer of 2017 after Dave has completed the last of his credits for his master's degree (one year before Sebastian is due to complete his five year double bachelor's at Oberlin). This is the third last No Strings fic and follows Cementing Bonds. Big thanks to Gabe for the beta reading!

I'm sorry if anything isn't quite right, I've been researching as best I can but I live on the other side of the world and have also never been in hospital, so…yeah. I tried my best.

Also, the song in the last scene is the acoustic version of Cadence, by Anberlin, if anyone is wondering.

Enjoy!

_/* represents a flashback */_

* * *

**Joined Together**

Dave tapped his foot impatiently, trying to find an outlet for his anxiety since he couldn't actually pace in the elevator, which was taking _forever_.

He should have taken the stairs. At least that way he would be moving, wouldn't have been subjected to the pain of stopping for far too long on every freaking floor, and he would have phone reception in case Charlotte was trying to contact him again. About the only thing keeping him from freaking out completely was that the last he'd heard from Charlotte, Sebastian had been released from Emergency.

When the elevator finally reached his floor it had been six minutes – six _entire_ minutes – after Dave had entered the hospital lobby and been directed to the fourth floor and other end of the building. He rushed out, ignoring the split second of guilt he felt at cutting in front of a middle aged woman who was also heading for the nurse's station.

"Excuse me," he said urgently to the nurse behind the counter as she looked up from the computer screen in front of her. "I need to—Sebastian Smythe. He was—his mom said he's here. There was a car accident. Is he okay?"

"I'm sorry, sir, could you please repeat that name?" she asked, sounding calm and reassuring, as though she could give Dave a little inner peace with just her voice. It wasn't working.

"Sebastian Smythe," he told her, slower and more clearly after taking a few deep breaths.

"And are you family?" she asked as she began typing what Dave could only assume was Sebastian's name.

"I'm his fiancé."

The smile on her face faltered as she looked back at him, some of the calm bleeding away to be replaced with regret. "I'm sorry. I can't give out any information to non-family members."

"I'm his _fiancé_," Dave said again, more firmly. He knew as he spoke that it was pointless, but it came out anyway.

"That's not the same thing," she said softly with a sad smile, "_legally speaking_."

"But he's hurt! I need to—"

She held up her hand, cutting him off. He felt a sharp surge of frustration, but something in her expression put a stop to it. "_I_ can't give out any information to non-family members," she repeated, glancing over her shoulder, "but I also can't stop you from entering the waiting room, where I believe you might find a member of his family already."

Of course he would, Dave realized, because Charlotte had called him. If he'd been less panicked he'd have gone straight to find her instead. "_Thank you_."

The nurse just smiled at him, calm and reassuring once more, and pointed down the hall. "The waiting room is that way."

Dave headed down the hall. It wasn't far to the waiting room and as soon as he was there he spotted Charlotte looking terrified. She looked up as he was walking towards her and was on her feet immediately, clutching at Dave as he tried to keep her steady.

"Oh David, thank God. Sebastian—he's okay they said, but Samuel, he's in surgery and they don't—they don't _know_—"

She was crying, which was a shock to Dave's system. It shouldn't be, because anyone would react the same way, but he'd never seen Sebastian's mother so emotional. He pulled her in for a hug, trying to give her some reassurance but he didn't know that he really had any to give. He was so incredibly relieved that Sebastian would be fine, but he needed to know more than just that after the wave of fear he'd been riding for the last few hours. And the fact that Sebastian's father might not make it was something he couldn't even think about without feeling terrified all over again.

He was probably an awful, awful person, but he couldn't stop thinking that it could have been Sebastian fighting for his life, instead.

"—I need to go back to the ER waiting room in case they need me," Charlotte said as she pulled away, "but I couldn't, I couldn't leave Sebastian _alone_ and they said they didn't have space to keep him there when he's not really an emergency anymore, but that's okay now because…because you're here so you can tell me if anything changes with him—and they know I'm here but, but I need to be over there, I need to—"

"Charlotte," Dave interrupted, "I can't…they said they can't tell me anything, because I'm not family."

"What…what are you talking about?" she asked, looking horrified. "You—but you're getting married, that is _ridic_—"

"Excuse me; are you here for Sebastian Smythe?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm his mother. Is he alright?"

Dave didn't say anything, didn't want to draw attention to himself in case the doctor sent him away. That was probably not going to happen; he was sure that whatever rules about not speaking to non-family were vetoed when family was actually present, but he couldn't take that risk. So he listened as they were told about Sebastian's injuries; his broken collarbone that luckily wouldn't need surgery, his bruised ribs, whiplash and concussion, the fact that he was on very strong painkillers and would be kept overnight, just as a precaution, but would most likely be released the following afternoon.

"We're settling him into a room right now, but you should be able to see him shortly."

"Now," Charlotte said firmly. "My—my husband is in surgery and I have to go back there, I need to see my son, _now_. And when I'm gone I want David to have access to any and all information on Sebastian's situation. It's a…they are _engaged_, it's a _travesty_ that you don't consider him family!"

The doctor – Dr. Thomas, according to her name badge – looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, Ma'am, I am. But legally speaking—"

"Legally speaking, I _am_ Sebastian's family, and I'm giving you my permission. I can't be at both ends of the hospital at once, so consider David my proxy, or whatever you need him to be. Is there paperwork? Get it and I'll sign it, just do it _now._"

Dr. Thomas nodded stiffly and left the waiting room in the direction of the nurse station, Dave assumed to find whatever forms they would need, and maybe to fill the nurses in on the situation. Or to warn them.

The moment she was out of sight, Charlotte sagged against him, running out of whatever reserves of energy she'd found to deal with the situation so stubbornly. He held her for a moment, hoping she could leech just a little of his strength since she was clearly running low. He felt able to offer her support; more so than he had just minutes ago, now that he knew for sure that Sebastian wasn't in any real danger.

When the doctor returned, Charlotte straightened again. She wore that mask well, Dave had to admit. She took care of the forms quickly and efficiently, and within minutes she was done.

"Now, I want to see my son."

"The nurses are still setting him up in a room," Dr. Thomas replied, "so I'm afraid I can only allow one of you inside otherwise you'll be in their way. To be honest, it's one too many already, but I understand the position you're in."

"Go on, it's okay," Dave told Charlotte when she looked over at him with a frown. "I know you need to get back for news and I can wait out here for now. Then I'll sit with him until he's sick of me for the night and if you're still here I'll come and find you."

She nodded. "Alright. Thank you."

By the time Dave entered the hospital room, Sebastian looked as though he were ready to go to right back to sleep. It was probably for the best, because he was pretty out of it. There were so many things Dave wanted to say, but it wasn't the time. It could wait.

He held Sebastian's free hand tightly but carefully and sat quietly while Sebastian napped.

When Sebastian woke up it was nearly two hours later, pushing four-thirty in the afternoon, and Sebastian was thankfully more aware of his surroundings.

"I must've died and gotten kicked outta heaven," Sebastian slurred, trying to smirk but mostly looking exhausted, "because baby, you're hotter'n hell."

"Fuck, Seb." Dave gripped Sebastian's hand even tighter and moved as close to the bed as he could manage without actually climbing in. He hadn't realized how terrified he still felt until Sebastian's humor drained it out of him – because if he was flirting he was _fine_. "You are _not_ funny."

"Liar," Sebastian said roughly then licked his lips. "Can I have water?"

"Yeah, of course," Dave told him. There was a jug of water and a cup on the side table. The cup had a straw, which Dave was thankful for because Sebastian wasn't really in a position to drink without it.

After he'd taken a few small sips, Sebastian shook his head that he was done. "Mom still with Dad?" he asked.

"I'm surprised you remember. But yeah, I guess so." Dave didn't actually know. He hadn't heard from Charlotte since she had left for the Emergency Department, but he was pretty sure they had a no cellphones rule in that waiting room and Samuel could still be in surgery, anyway. "She hasn't come back yet. I can go and check on her later if you want, once Dad's here."

"Paul's coming?"

Dave didn't dignify that with an answer, he just shot Sebastian a look that he immediately felt guilty over. Sebastian was on some pretty heavy duty painkillers _and_ had a concussion; he was allowed to ask stupid questions.

"He should be here soon. I asked about your dad but they didn't tell me anything. I don't think anyone here knows and they weren't willing to ask since the forms your mom signed were only about you. But now that you're more awake they'll probably find out for you, if you ask."

"What forms?" Sebastian asked with a frown.

"The uh…" Dave winced, "the forms so that the staff would let me in here and tell me what was going on. I'm…I'm not family. They weren't going to tell me anything before."

Sebastian's expression changed. He was probably angry, Dave figured, but with the sluggishness Sebastian was fighting off, he looked more like a grumpy child than a rightfully upset adult. He nodded slowly, like he was already thinking three steps ahead, but then he blinked and looked a little dazed again.

"Can you get a nurse so I can ask about Dad? Or is there one of those call buttons?" he fumbled around the bed with his good hand, not making much progress. Dave picked up the tiny remote that was just out of Sebastian's view and pressed it.

"There. Someone should be here soon."

Sebastian nodded and relaxed back into his pillows. Dave didn't know how much of the situation Charlotte had told Sebastian, so he wasn't sure what to say or do. He wasn't a particularly religious person, but he was praying silently that the news wouldn't be as dire as it had sounded earlier.

The idea that Sebastian might lose his father wasn't something Dave wanted to think about.

* * *

Sebastian sighed, rubbing at his collarbone absentmindedly. It had healed – _finally! _– but he hadn't quite forgotten the awful clicking noise it made whenever he took the sling off during the first few weeks after the accident. It made him cringe whenever it popped into his head.

He was waiting, somewhat impatiently, for Dave to come online. Ever since the accident they'd spoken on Skype every day that they couldn't see each other face to face, even on days when they only five minutes free at the same time to say goodnight or good morning. Dave was a little late, but he might have been held up during his internship hours, so Sebastian wasn't worried. He was, on the other hand, a little anxious about what he was going to say.

It was pointless to stare at the clock, he knew. That would only make every minute seem longer. There were glossy brochures stacked by his laptop that he could look over again, but he'd almost had them memorized and realistically there was something more important he needed to look at, no matter how much he'd dreaded it and how long he'd put it off.

And if Dave came online while he was looking at it, he'd have an excuse to put it away. Then at least he could say he'd finally _tried_.

The pile of papers he needed to stop ignoring was half an inch thick and held together neatly with a bull clip. Even though it had been delivered a full three days earlier, all he'd accomplished was to take it out of the folder it came in and read the short note attached to the front page.

It was only paperwork. Bank statements, legal documents, property details; nothing he should feel intimidated by. He just had to read everything over in case there was any action he needed to take, the way he'd been advised.

_/* "I, Samuel James Smythe, of sound mind and memory, hereby freely declare this to be my last will and testament, dated Monday, October 3, 2016. I revoke any and all wills I have previously written."_

"_I'm sorry, did you say October?" Sebastian interrupted. "That was only two months ago." His mother was staring blankly at the floor in front of them and Dave squeezed Sebastian's hand in reassurance._

"_Yes," Mr. Richards replied patiently. "Your father was diligent about keeping his will up to date. With an estate of this size, it's extremely important. He revised it every three months without fail." */_

The words on the first few pages were familiar – he'd heard them all weeks ago and had no interest in going over them again. The tone was strangely personal, more so than Sebastian remembered his father being in life. It seemed wrong that Sebastian learned more about his father listening to his will being read than he ever had in a conversation with him.

_/* "…to be allocated equally between several charitable funds as detailed in document 3a. The remainder of my estate is to be divided among my few living relatives, as follows._

"_To my twin sister, Stephanie Mannings nee Smythe, I leave personal items as detailed in document 4a, in addition to the old family vacation house in Maine where we spent many of our childhood years, and the boat High Silver, currently moored at the Maine home private jetty._

"_Steph, I hope when you spend time on the water you remember my excellent navigation skills, rather than my embarrassment when you pushed me overboard and my swimsuit washed away. In case I never told you; I forgive you, in spite of the way your friends never again managed to look me in the eye._

"_To my niece and goddaughter, Annabella Mannings, I leave personal items as detailed in document 4b and the apartment on Boston Harbor, with full and unrestricted access to be granted upon her eighteenth birthday. The deed is to be held in trust then signed over upon her twenty-fifth birthday. I also leave to Annabella my 1978 Harley Davidson Shovelhead motorcycle._

"_Anna, I know you will love her as much as I do, but don't let her waste away in storage the way I have. I might have gifted her to you sooner except that my sister would have killed me. At the risk of sounding insensitive, that's obviously no longer a concern." */_

It was too hard, Sebastian decided, too much. The words were too real. He skipped past those pages but all that followed were statements and lists. What did he care about properties and bank balances? What he wanted was to build an actual, real relationship with his father and it was too late. Life was too short. They had been trying, had actually been closer than Sebastian remembered since his very early childhood, but they didn't have the kind of solid relationship he'd hoped for and now they never would.

He flicked through the papers as quickly as he could manage; only pausing to fold the corners he could immediately tell he'd have to look at later, the ones that needed actual attention.

When he was done, minutes later though it felt like hours, he put the papers back in the spot he'd mentally allotted as theirs and decided to focus on happier things again.

He was only on the second page of the first brochure when he got a Skype notification that Dave was online, followed almost immediately by an incoming call.

"Hey," Dave greeted once Sebastian accepted the call. "I'm sorry I'm a bit late. I tried to get away as fast as I could but I got held up with some paperwork."

"It's okay. I was just…uh," Sebastian said, hesitating. "I have paperwork, too. I was trying to look over Dad's estate."

Dave's brow furrowed in concerned and he leaned closer to his computer. "Are you okay?"

Was he?

He was as okay as he could be, he supposed. And he was definitely dealing with everything far better than his mother was, if nothing else.

"Yeah. I mean, it's not exactly fun, but I'll manage."

"Do you…do you want to wait until I get there on Saturday? I know I won't be much help, but I can hug you when you need it and be a buffer between you and the paperwork when you want one."

Sebastian nodded. The papers could wait until then, and having Dave with him would probably make everything a little easier to deal with.

He glanced back down at the booklet he'd been reading and the beautiful photos in it. He should wait until the weekend for that, too, but he didn't want to wait – that was the whole point.

"Listen Growly, I've been thinking. I don't want to wait."

"If I could drive up there now I would, but you know I've got classes I can't miss tomorrow if I'm going to stay on track to finish in May…"

"To get married," Sebastian explained. "I don't want to wait another eighteen months to get married. I want to do it this summer, instead of just moving in together."

Dave stared at his screen, clearly surprised and maybe a little doubtful. Sebastian had expected that; he knew Dave would be worried, but he didn't look completely against the idea so Sebastian considered that a win.

"Seb…that's less than six months away."

"I know. I just don't want to wait. And look what I picked up last week." He held up the brochure so it was in view of the webcam. The picture on the front was of a function venue – one that was part of the Botanical Gardens and overlooked the Japanese Garden. They had already agreed that when the time came, the Japanese Garden would be perfect for their wedding ceremony.

Dave's mouth curved into a tiny smile at the screen, but then he shook it off a little sadly. "Is this about your dad?"

"A little," Sebastian admitted, because there was no point in lying and Dave would know, anyway. "But it's not just that. I've been thinking about it since the accident, and I don't mean just tossing the idea around, okay? I've been _seriously_ thinking about whether it's the right thing to do, and I think it is."

"Do you want to talk about why?"

Sebastian sighed, eyes darting back to the stack of papers that amounted to his father's entire life in one clean, photocopied pile.

"Because life's too short."

"_Seb_…"

"No, just hear me out, okay? I'm not just suggesting this out of some internal freak out from losing my dad. I'm _not_. If I was, I would have said this right out of hospital. Or right after the funeral, or the will reading. It's been nearly two months, and I have spent almost every minute since then working through this in my brain."

"Alright," Dave said, hands held up surrender. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to think I don't want to marry you soon, I'm just worried."

"I've thought this over completely. _I promise_."

"I believe you."

"Good. Because I'm right about this. We've been together for nearly five years, we've been engaged for a while and we were going to be moving in together this summer anyway. It's not like this is coming out of nowhere. But just…think about what happened in the hospital. What if one of us gets hurt, and we don't have a family member there to speak to the staff—"

"There's paperwork we can do…"

"I know, but what's the point in moving together and signing those papers but _not_ getting married for another year? Unless you think you're going to change your mind after we move in together." He was joking about that, but Dave didn't look impressed. "I'm _kidding_. You know I am."

Dave nodded. "I know, but honestly Seb...this feels a little sudden. Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"Because I wanted to be sure I wasn't just panicking over losing my dad. And I'm not, even though I can tell you're worried I am anyway."

"Fair enough," Dave said. "But if it's just about what happened at the hospital…this isn't the kind of thing you decide because it's logical and convenient."

"_I'm not_. That's not…I mean, that's a _part_ of it, but it's more than that. It's…you've seen what this has done to Mom. I know this sounds stupid, but I never really thought she and Dad actually loved each other. I thought…I don't know what I thought. They were married for twenty-five years but I never saw them look like…like they couldn't bear to be apart, you know?"

_/* "To my darling wife, Charlotte Smythe nee Mousseau, what can I possibly give you? There is nothing in my possession equal to what you have given me, nor to the decades you have spent by my side even when I was undeserving. Knowing you as I do, I leave you a promise." */_

He'd always been quick to say his parents were uncaring, were distant, were unimportant to each other. But maybe they just hadn't been good at showing how they felt, because Sebastian had never seen his mother as emotional as she had been every single day since losing his dad.

_/* "I promise you, despite all I have or haven't said and done, that I love you. When I wake each morning, I love you as much as I did on the morning I begged you to be mine. When I fall asleep each night, I love you as deeply as I did on the night we were married. I'm sorry for every reason I ever gave you to wonder if my love for you had faded. To that effect I leave you all personal items that have not been otherwise bequeathed, but specifically, I leave you a black leather journal that you will find in my private office, in the locked drawer of my desk. You know where the spare key is. I beg you to read the journal, all of it, every single page. In it are my thoughts, feelings, hopes and desires. Some pages will hurt, but for each word that might hurt you, there are dozens more that I hope will ease your pain."_

_Sebastian's mother remained silent, but she had tears running down her cheeks and her grip on Sebastian's arm was tight. */_

"I know what you mean," Dave agreed softly. He gave Sebastian a sad smile. "When we were at the hospital, she was…she wasn't herself. And then at the funeral."

"I shouldn't be surprised that my mom is distraught over losing my dad, but _I am_. I just…I never knew she could be like this."

Before, his mother had always been busy, at a party or a gathering, or planning some kind of function. It was rare to catch her at home save for the middle of the night, but since losing her husband she rarely left the house. The few days she ventured out were almost always to visit Sebastian. He found it strange and unsettling to see her so clingy and even though he understood, it still worried him.

"So…you want to do this to make her happy?" Dave frowned, looking concerned. Sebastian shook his head.

"No. I'm not explaining this well. But what Dad said, in his will…he loved her. And she loved him, too. A lot."

_/* "I don't know when it became easier to write the words than to tell you or to show you, but I do love you, Charli-Bug." The name meant nothing to Sebastian, but it obviously meant a lot to his mother. The noise she made was pained and her nails dug deep into Sebastian's arm, suddenly and sharply. */_

"It's just that they wasted so much time being so distant from each other," Sebastian added, trying to stifle the wave of sadness he felt. "We never know how long we have, do we? Dad was only fifty-one, and now he's gone. No warning, nothing. Just…just gone. And he had so many regrets."

/* _"Though there is little else I can give you that will offer you comfort," Mr. Richards continued after giving Sebastian's mother a sympathetic smile, "I leave you twenty percent of my undisbursed monetary assets from various sources, as detailed in document 5a. I also leave you the house in Westerville and the cottage in Aquitaine where we spent the early years of our life together. It holds a great many wonderful memories for me, and I hope it does the same for you. I regret every moment I didn't spend with you making more memories just as wonderful." */_

"Are you worried that you'll regret it if we wait?" Dave asked.

"I don't know," Sebastian replied. "But I think that any day could be the last day we have together. I was so lucky to come out of that accident the way I did. I could have died, too. Or you could have, back when you…back in high school. I don't want to waste any more time, Growly. And I can't even imagine – I don't want you to have to be reminded that I love you in a will. I want to make sure you know it every day."

"I know you do. And I love you, too."

"Enough to marry me in six months?"

"Enough to marry you tomorrow, if it wouldn't drive me crazy to be married to you _and _spend another six months apart." Dave hesitated. He still looked uncertain. "But to be honest, I'm not sure we can plan a wedding so fast when we're both still in school. You're in your second to last year and I'm trying to pack my master's degree into two semesters. We barely even have time to _see_ each other, how are we supposed to plan a wedding in six months?"

"Well…I thought we could ask Mom to do it. Not all of it, just the heavy lifting, you know? We still want to have it at the Botanical Gardens, right? In the Japanese Garden? I've got all of the information from them that we might need." He waved the brochure into view again. "We can do the ceremony in the actual garden like we wanted. And we can have the reception in Woodland Hall – apparently it looks right over the Japanese Garden _and _that reflecting pool. When you get here on Saturday we can go and check it out. I thought we could tell Mom where we want the wedding then let her go through all the other options and just give us the final ideas to say yes or no to. That could work."

"Your mom would go _completely _overboard."

"Well yeah," Sebastian laughed. "But we can rein her in if we have to, and besides, it's not like we don't have the budget for it. I know it's…I mean I hate where the money came from, but Dad would be pissed if we didn't use it."

_/* "To my son Sebastian Smythe and his fiancé, David Karofsky, I leave the sum of one hundred thousand dollars to be made available immediately. Sebastian, David, though this money is to be used as you both see fit, I hope it will be spent on building the beginnings of your life together and in planning your wedding. Though I will not be there in body, I promise you I will be there in spirit." */_

"Yeah, I guess he would." Dave shifted uncomfortably. He still struggled to understand why he'd been included in the will, Sebastian knew.

"We'll be making all the final decisions…and she is _not_ picking what we wear or what we have our first dance to," Sebastian said firmly, "but this would take a lot of the work out of our hands and, to be honest, it would give Mom something to distract herself with. She really…she needs something to focus on."

"It'd make her happy, too."

Sebastian nodded. "I think it would. Something occupying her time would be really good for her."

"You're right. And you know that I want to marry you more than anything."

"Then is that a yes to this summer?"

There was a small smile on Dave's face. Sebastian knew exactly what that meant, but he forced down his excitement until Dave actually agreed.

"If you really think we can get it organized so quickly without demolishing our GPA's, and if you're sure this is really what you want and not a knee jerk reaction…then yes."

He wanted to leap through his computer and kiss his fiancé, but since he couldn't, Sebastian settled on a smirk. "Look at you, putting limitations on our marriage. How appalling."

"Don't be an asshole, or I'll change my mind."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I'm independently wealthy now," Sebastian said wryly. "You've got to get in quick before the gold-diggers come knocking." He'd only meant it to be funny, but it came out a little more cynical than he'd intended. He glared at the stack of papers once more.

_/* "And finally, to my son, Sebastian Smythe, I leave the bulk of my estate, including all remaining properties and monetary possessions. All deeds, as detailed in document 5b, will be held in trust until his twenty-fifth birthday, though access to any and all properties is to be complete and unfettered from the date of this will reading. All monetary assets are also to be held in trust until his twenty-fifth birthday, with the exception of a lump sum to be released immediately and yearly stipends both personal and educational, all detailed in document 5c." */_

"Hey, this is a happy moment, don't be like that."

"I'm just kidding, babe, you've got nothing to worry about," Sebastian said. He gave a tiny smile, but he knew it wasn't as real as it should have been.

Dave just rolled his eyes. "I know _that_. But just…try not to feel spiteful towards what your dad left you, okay?" Sebastian hadn't realized how obvious he'd been, but then Dave knew him better than anyone. "It's not like when he used to try to bribe you into behaving or pay you off for putting up with him not being there. He wasn't…he wasn't trying to buy you, Seb. He just wanted to make sure you'd always be okay. I didn't know him that well, but I know how much he wanted things to get better between the two of you."

Everything Dave said was true, but Sebastian couldn't help the small part of him that resented his father for dying…for taking away the opportunity they'd had to have a proper relationship. It wasn't really his father's fault, except part of him felt like it _was_ for driving a car that didn't even have _airbags_.

But he knew he wasn't being fair.

"I…I know it's not…I know he…." Sebastian's voice cracked and he cleared his throat. His eyes itched and he had to force himself to take a deep, shuddering breath.

"I know," he said again, eventually. "I don't think that he was doing that – not _really – _I just hate that he's gone and all that's left is a fucking ridiculous amount of money and more property than we'll ever use. I hate that I never got to have a real relationship with my dad even after I thought that one day I could. We were _getting _there, and then he was just _gone_."

_/* "On a more personal note, Sebastian, I also leave you my beloved 1973 Jaguar Series III E-type Roadster—"_

_Sebastian flinched. That car – that _death trap – _was the reason his father had died. If it hadn't already been totaled in the accident, Sebastian might have had it turned into scrap metal out of spite or petty revenge._

"—_and a list of other personal possessions, detailed in document 5d. I also leave you all the love I struggled to show you and my sorrow that I will not see you grow into the man you will one day be. Our relationship has always been strained, and I know the weight of that burden is on my shoulders. I can finally say that we have been working through our differences and becoming closer and for that I am forever grateful. I have not said it nearly enough, but I cannot begin to explain to you how proud I am of you, of your talents and your accomplishments; even of your faults and your failures. I am proud of everything that makes you who you are, and who you will become. Please forgive me for wasting so many years letting you believe otherwise. */_

* * *

"I know I said I wouldn't bug you about it, but since Sebastian made Charlotte promise to let you take your time, she's been breathing down _my_ neck. The wedding is going to be here sooner than you think, and she needs a final head count to give to the caterer."

Dave sighed. He knew his dad was right, but he was still unsure what he should do.

"Look, I know it's not an easy decision, David, but it's one you have to make. And you need to do it soon, because Charlotte has to know numbers before the end of next week."

"What do _you_ think I should do?" Dave asked.

"I think it doesn't matter what anyone but you and Sebastian think, because it's your wedding. And I think Sebastian knows this in particular needs to be _your_ choice."

"But none of that actually helps me decide," Dave groaned, letting his head hit the food court table with a dull thud, narrowly avoiding a stray piece of lettuce that must have fallen from his burger. "She's my _mom_. How can I not invite my own mom to my wedding? But…how can I invite her when she might try to ruin it?"

"Do you think she would do that?" When Dave looked up, his dad's face didn't give anything away. Dave knew what he was doing; that he was trying to make Dave figure out what he wanted without any influence from him either way. Dave appreciated that, sort of, but mostly it was just incredibly frustrating.

"I don't know," he said, fiddling with the straw on his cup and trying not to think too deeply about how it would make him feel if she did. "I hope she wouldn't, but if I invite her and she says yes, I'm probably going to be terrified that she will. And if she says no, I'm going to be upset that she doesn't care enough to want to see me get married. But…I can't _not_ invite her, can I? What if she's changed her mind? What if she's realized that she was wrong?"

His dad hesitated. Dave wasn't sure if that meant he didn't want to answer in case it upset him, or in case it affected his decision. Either way, it probably wasn't a good sign.

"I haven't spoken to your mother for a very long time, David," he said after a moment of thought, "so I don't know if she's had a change of heart. But I do know that if she _has,_ then it's her responsibility to come to you. It's up to her to beg you for a chance to let her make things right. If she hasn't done that, then you don't need to worry about her feelings. Just think about what _you_ want. If you want her there and are willing to take that risk, then invite her. If not, then don't. No matter which decision you make, don't let anyone make you feel wrong for it."

Dave nodded. He still didn't know what he wanted to do, but he knew his dad had a point. He just wished he knew which choice was the right one to make.

"Uh...hey, Karofsky. And Mr. Karofsky."

The voice was familiar, but completely unexpected. Dave froze for a split second then looked back over his shoulder to see Azimio standing there, looking uncomfortable.

"Hello, Azimio." His dad's voice was polite, but not even remotely friendly.

"Hi," Dave said cautiously. He hadn't spoken to Azimio since…well, since he'd been outed at Thurston. The only contact they'd had involved some nasty messages Dave had received by phone, Facebook and email. He'd never replied to any of them.

It was strange, Dave thought, because he used to imagine seeing Azimio again, used to try to figure out what he would do when his former best friend eventually harassed him face to face. He'd wondered if he'd be strong or if he'd break; if he'd let himself be walked all over or if he'd get angry and fight back. But he'd never imagined Azimio looking so awkward, instead of aggressive.

"Look, I'm not…uh, I just wanted…" Azimio couldn't hold Dave's eye. He kept dropping his gaze, even flinching when he'd look over at Dave's dad who, to be fair, did _not _look impressed to see him. "Can we talk? Just for a minute?"

"About what?" Dave asked.

Azimio hesitated, glancing between Dave and his dad meaningfully. "I'm not gonna cause any trouble. Please?"

"Son?"

Dave nodded in response at his dad, who shot Azimio one last warning look then stood up and quickly picked up the mess from their meal. "I'll just throw this out, then. David, when you're done I'll be in the bookstore."

"Thanks, Dad." The bookstore was close enough that he knew his dad would be keeping an eye on them, which was probably the point.

Azimio stood around awkwardly for another few moments once he was gone, then motioned at the abandoned seat. "Uh…could I…?"

"Sure." Dave wasn't sure whether he was completely comfortable sharing a table with someone who had hurt him so badly, but on the other hand at least Azimio wasn't standing over him anymore. "So, what do you want? If you're here to hassle me, it's a waste of time. To be honest I'm happier than I've ever been and there's not really anything you can say to ruin that."

It was blunt, but Dave figured he had the right to be.

"I wasn't gonna…I just wanted to see how you was going, dude."

Dave found that extremely hard to believe. The doubt must have shown on his face, because Azimio grimaced.

"Okay, that's not all," he admitted, embarrassed. "I uh…I want to apologize. I didn't…the things I said back in high school…it was all fucked up. I was dumb as shit back then and I said a lot of stuff I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously, man." Azimio swallowed thickly then stared at the table like it would help him figure out the right words. "You'd been my best friend since we was kids," he said eventually. "I was such an asshole to you over something that's not your fault and none of my business. I really regret that."

"So why the change of heart?" The idea that Azimio might be messing with him wasn't one he could let go of easily. He wanted to believe that things were different, but he didn't know for sure. And maybe it was kind of underhanded, but Dave wasn't above testing him a little. "You go through your own gay crisis?" he asked.

When Azimio laughed it wasn't cruel or mean spirited, he just sounded amused. That didn't really prove anything, Dave supposed, but it went a long way to settling his nerves and making him believe that Azimio was probably being sincere.

"Me? Nah. A few years ago Jacey did, though, so I guess you could say I sorta did, except it wasn't _mine_. I mean, I hope I woulda figured out what a dick I was being, eventually, but when she came out…man, she's my kid sister, you know?" he paused, shoulders slumped. "She told me first, even though she knew what happened with you and how I reacted. Bravest kid, dude."

"I hope she's okay," Dave offered. Jacey had always been around when they were younger, underfoot and annoying like little sisters were supposed to be. Dave hated the idea that she'd struggled so much, just like he had.

Azimio nodded. "She is, now. But back then, I mean…she was crying like she thought she'd lose our whole family and I just…I knew I had to get over it. I've known her every single day of her life, man, and there was never _anything_ wrong with her. So I must've been wrong thinking that there was something wrong with being gay, and I wasn't going to let her down when she came to me before anyone else." He had been picking at a half torn sticker on the table, but then he straightened his shoulders and looked Dave square in the eye. "What else could I do when my kid sister needed me? And I saw the way some people treated her after that; made me kinda realize just how bad it was and what a jerk I was to you. I wish it hadn't played out that way, man. I should never have treated you the way I did."

There was no way Dave was going to start blaming himself again for what had happened, not after everything he'd been through and all the progress he'd made. But he did wonder if things could have been different. And maybe he didn't really want the answer, but he still had to ask. "Do you think…if I'd told you face to face, instead of you finding out the way you did…would you have acted any differently? Do you think we would have stayed friends?"

"I wanna say yes. But…honestly? I don't know," Azimio said with a sigh. "I didn't really get it back then, so probably not. Maybe I never woulda gotten it if it wasn't my baby sister it happened with. Maybe I'd still be some homophobic douchebag who treats people like shit." More than anything else, the fact that Azimio didn't try to pass any blame made Dave realize that he believed him. He was honestly sorry and Dave accepted that.

"Look, I thought about…I thought about getting in touch with you," Azimio continued. "A bunch of times, even. But I didn't know if you wanted to hear from me or if it'd be wrong of me to try. And I guess…I guess I was a coward about it. But then I saw you sitting here and I thought it might be the only chance I get to try to make this right, you know? We was friends for so long, man. I can't tell you how bad I feel about everything I did. I'm sorry."

"It means a lot," Dave admitted. "So…thank you. And I forgive you." It felt like a weight off Dave's shoulders that he hadn't even known he'd been carrying, but he had to be completely honest as well. "I'm really glad you're not like that anymore, especially because Jacey needs her brother. But I don't know what…I mean…I don't think we can ever be close like we used to be, if that's what—"

"No. I mean, I get it. I wish I could fix it and make it all like it never happened, but I can't. I just…I wanted you to know that I'm sorry. And I really _did_ want to see how you're doing."

"I'm good. I'm happy."

"Yeah, so you said," Azimio grinned. "That got something to do with the bling on your finger?"

Dave twisted his engagement ring with a small smile. "Yeah. I'm getting married."

"Man, that's _awesome_. Congratulations. I'm real happy for you."

He was, Dave could tell. It was almost unbelievable; the difference between who Azimio was back then and who he seemed to be now, but then Dave supposed he had changed a hell of a lot over the last few years as well.

"Thanks."

"So when's the big day?"

"In three weeks."

"That soon? For real? You must be freaking out."

Dave shook his head. "Not really. Only a little, because there's still stuff to do and decisions to make," he said. It was strange, but the one problem he'd been struggling with for weeks made sense to him, finally. "But I think maybe I've already figured them out, now," he added, slowly. "Mostly I'm relieved because I had my last class yesterday and I haven't really had time to start panicking over the wedding just yet."

"That's great, man. I'm just…I'm so glad that things worked out well for you. I know it was real bad for you for a while, and part of that was my fault. It's just…it's good to know you're doing well and you're happy."

"Thank you."

"Nah, don't thank me. I should be thanking you for not straight up punching me in the face. Or in the balls, coz I probably deserve that, too."

Dave grinned. "You're welcome, then."

"I better go, coz your dad is probably damn sick of looking at that same shelf of books, man. But listen, if you ever want to catch up or hang out, gimme a call. And good luck. Congratulations again about your wedding."

"Thanks, Z."

Azimio beamed at Dave then stood, waving a goodbye in the direction of the bookstore. Dave snorted when he saw his dad wave back uncertainly.

"See ya, man."

When Azimio was gone and his dad was back, Dave was smiling.

"I take it that wasn't a bad talk, then?"

"No," Dave said. "It was good. Great, even. And I've decided what to do about Mom, too."

"And what's that?"

Dave shrugged, feeling surprisingly comfortable with his decision now that he'd finally made it. "Nothing. You're right; if her feelings have changed, she needs to come and say so. And if that ever happens…well, I can decide what I want to do from there. But," he glanced back over his shoulder in the direction Azimio had taken, but he was long gone, "just because someone decides to make things right, doesn't mean I have to accept them back in my life. It's good, you know, and I'm glad for it, but it doesn't change what happened. I wish things were different, but they aren't. So I'm not going to invite Mom to the wedding."

"Are you sure that's what you want? One hundred percent sure?"

"Yeah," Dave said, and he knew without a doubt that he meant it. "I don't know if she's changed, but I can't trust her right now. It's not…it's not my job to make her feel better about the things she's done, and that's the main reason I'd be inviting her. So…I'm sure."

"For the record, son, I know it was a very hard decision, but I think you've made the right call."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

Sebastian stood in front of the full length mirror in a towel, trying to decide whether to get dressed or wait another half an hour. He had just under an hour before he was supposed to leave for the ceremony; he would dry off and fix his hair then get dressed last.

It only took him a few minutes to get entirely ready with the exception of putting his actual clothes on. He sat in the wingback chair near the window, in nothing but his underwear with his towel over his shoulders, wondering when exactly time decided to slow down to a crawl.

The room didn't hold much distraction. It was beautifully decorated but there wasn't a lot in it to offer entertainment. There was a television but he'd already spent half the morning flicking through endless channels of absolutely nothing interesting.

His mother had insisted on booking and paying for the entirety of Glidden House for wedding guests for the day and night of the wedding, and for the honeymoon suite the handful of days immediately after, until Dave and Sebastian left for Bora Bora. It was her wedding gift to them, and he hadn't bothered arguing. Glidden House was nice, and conveniently close to the ceremony and reception. It seemed like overkill in his opinion to book the whole place when half their guests lived within a two hour drive, but it made his mother happy and it wasn't exactly a hardship to endure.

Or it hadn't been, until he realized that there was nothing to do in the suite he was using to get ready in, other than wait for the minutes to drag by at a snail's pace.

And he couldn't even see Dave because his mother had forced them into rooms on opposite sides and different floors of the building; as though Sebastian and Dave couldn't be trusted to stay apart before the ceremony. Worse; Paul agreed with her.

Maybe they had a point, not that Sebastian bought into that superstitious bullshit. He could break seven mirrors on his way to the ceremony after he and Dave saw each other in their outfits _and_ get distracted by black cats and ladders and whatever else people freaked out about. It wouldn't change the fact that he and Dave were going to have an amazing marriage. But knowing them, if they had been sharing a room they'd probably get distracted and end up late to their own wedding.

There was a knock on the door and Sebastian grinned. Maybe Dave had managed to sneak over. Sebastian had tried earlier but had been waylaid by Paul then yelled at by his mother when he was turned over to her.

When he opened the door, however, it was Tim.

"What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" he asked, alarmed. There wasn't a single reason that Sebastian could fathom as to why Tim would be knocking on his door an hour before the wedding, short of some kind of terrible emergency.

What if Dave had slipped and cracked his head open in the shower? Or there was something wrong with the transport to the Gardens? Although that probably wouldn't count as an emergency, since it was only a few minutes' walk away.

Or, _Jesus_, what if Dave had realized that Sebastian was _Sebastian_ and was in the process of freaking out and running for his dear life?

He knew that was incredibly unlikely because Dave loved him and actually _wanted_ to marry him, but Tim had no reason to be there otherwise.

"Man, I don't even know what the hell your face just did, but chill. I just wanted to talk to you before the wedding. Bro to bro," Tim said, clapping him on the back.

"_Right_."

"Look, I know you and Karofsky are happy and you've been together since high school and all that crap, but I'd be remiss in my best man duties if I didn't give you the shovel speech."

Sebastian had absolutely no idea what Tim was talking about. "The what?"

Tim rolled his eyes as though _Sebastian_ was the idiot. Luckily for him Sebastian was in a good mood, since it was his wedding day.

"You know, the shovel speech. '_If you hurt my best friend I have a gun and a shovel_,' or my personal favorite, '_if you hurt her, I will beat you to death with a shovel_,' except of course I mean _him_ because Dave is not Buffy and I'm not a teen lesbian witch. Come on, '_a vague disclaimer is nobody's friend'…_you must know what I'm talking abou—_holy shit_."

"What?" Sebastian asked, startled as he was pulling the towel off his shoulders to put his shirt on.

Instead of answering, Tim was staring at Sebastian's chest in shock.

_Oh_.

"Jesus," Tim said after a moment, eyeing up the pattern of hickeys that ran down Sebastian's chest and stomach. "You look like you got mauled by a bear. Wait! No…_don't_," he added when Sebastian opened his mouth to reply. "_Please_. I heard it as soon as I said it."

Sebastian smirked as he pulled on his shirt and began buttoning it up. "Well, I guess the bachelor party shenanigans brought out the animal in Dave."

Tim took the bait easily. "The bachelor party was two weeks ago. Besides, all he did was grin like an idiot and watch the rest of us get completely wasted."

"I meant the _private_ bachelor party last night," Sebastian said with a wicked grin. "Sorry you weren't invited. There was a strict two person limit, but if you want _details_—"

"Oh, shut up," Tim told him. He'd stopped Sebastian while he had several buttons still open and was leaning down, looking at the bruises again with horrified fascination all over his face. "Fuck, how did I spend four years rooming with the guy and didn't notice he was a freaking cannibal?"

Just then the door swung open and Santana waltzed into the room as though she had every right to be there.

"What the fuck are _you_ doing here?"

"Relax, Twinky McTwisted, I'm on the guest list, remember? Damn, Karofsky does some nice work." She tried to tug his shirt open further, but Sebastian wasn't letting those bright red talons anywhere near his chest so he slapped her hand away.

He knew she was invited, of course, although to be honest he still wasn't sure _why_. And the same went for Hummel, for that matter. He supposed that Dave _did _consider them his friends for some reason – although Sebastian, personally, thought he could do better.

"I _meant_ what you're doing _here. In this room._"

Thankfully Sebastian only saw them a few times a year, though that was bound to change once he and Dave moved to New York. Sebastian could think of poisonous reptiles he'd rather spend time with, but he liked seeing Dave happy, so he'd manage.

"I had to see what was up with all this eating people talk," Santana smirked. She looked like a shark. When Sebastian just glared at her she rolled her eyes. "_Fine_, I was on my way to threaten you with severe bodily harm if you hurt my ex-beard, and what do I see? Some guy walking into your room while you're in your underwear."

"So you decided to listen at the door?" Sebastian asked, unsure if he felt offended by her suspicion or just resigned by Santana's general existence.

"Of course," she said shamelessly then turned to face Tim. "By the way, has anyone ever told you that you look like the forbidden lovechild of Ed Sheeran and that actor who played that guy that made Facebook?"

Tim looked like he was floundering for a response, which wasn't surprising. Santana was a sandstorm; she'd take your face off if you weren't prepared to deal with her.

"Uh…thanks?" he said, dubiously.

Santana snorted. "It wasn't a compliment."

Ignoring them would be his best bet, Sebastian decided as he pulled on his dress pants. He had to leave in twenty minutes anyway, so it was definitely time he finished getting ready.

"That's a shame," Tim said after a moment, "because I think you are _stunning_."

"Oh put your cock away," Santana said dismissively. Sebastian tried not to laugh at the look on Tim's face, but he wasn't particularly successful. "The only person here who likes dick is getting married today and better not chase after any _other _dick ever again. In fact," she added, glaring pointedly at Sebastian, "he better not hurt Karofsky _at all_."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. He'd been with Dave for over five years, but Santana – and most of her and Hummel's motley crew, in fact – never quite stopped being suspicious of him. It would be torture except that he found it fun to push their buttons, and he could admit that they at least tried to be civil when they saw him with Dave.

"Would you ever hurt Brittany?" he demanded, although he already knew the answer.

"Are you a fucking _idiot_?"

"No," he answered firmly and deliberately. "Are_ you_?"

Whatever else she was, Santana wasn't dense. She looked mollified, at least partially. "Then hurry up and get your makeup on, future Mrs. Karofsky," she said as she left the room, "or you're going to be late for your big day."

"Well…that was interesting," Tim said slowly. "Karofsky really dated her? No, scratch that, she's you with great tits, it kind of makes sense."

Sebastian glared at Tim and pushed him in the direction of the door. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, because it's my wedding day and nothing is going to ruin it. Now make yourself useful and go help Dave if he needs it. In case you've forgotten, that's what you are _meant_ to be doing today. And if you see _my_ best man, tell him he's in the doghouse for letting Gloria Este-femme in here."

* * *

Sebastian was never going to finish his meal if he kept sneaking his hand under the table to squeeze Dave's hand, and occasionally his upper thigh with a wicked grin, but Dave wasn't complaining. He thought he'd probably be happy to just sit there and watch his husband – because that's what Sebastian was now, his _husband_ – for hours.

His own meal was long finished and he'd kept distracting Sebastian with comments and laughter, so it was probably his fault that Sebastian wasn't done, anyway.

A few seats down he could hear Tim laughing uproariously, and Dave felt a fresh wave of embarrassment wash over him. "God, I still can't believe Tim put that bit in his speech about how many times he walked in on us."

"Well, _I_ still can't believe he's seen all that but still felt the need to defend your honor and threaten me against hurting you."

Dave had no idea that Tim had done anything like that. He dropped his arm around the back of Sebastian's chair and leaned in, curious. "He what? When? What did he say?"

"This morning," Sebastian said with a shrug. "While I was getting ready for the ceremony. And I don't really know _what_ he said…there was something about a shovel and a disclaimer, I think, but then he got distracted by my tantalizing skin and irresistible physique." Sebastian waggled his eyebrows then took another bite of his food.

"Really?" Dave laughed, checking out Sebastian's chest without a hint of subtlety. "Have you grown boobs I haven't seen yet?"

"Nope. Just strange and apparently fascinating bite marks."

"Oh God. He saw those?"

Sebastian smirked at him wickedly and Dave knew whatever he was about to say would be mortifying. He could feel the embarrassment stealing over him before Sebastian even opened his mouth. "Also, Santana said you do good work."

"_Oh God_." Dave cheeks were warm and probably flushed. He groaned, dropping his head onto Sebastian's shoulder. "Jesus, do I even what to know how that happened?"

"Probably not," came an amused voice from his right. When Dave looked up, Kurt was standing on the other side of the table with a slightly awkward smile. "Santana already shared the story of her cunning yet failed attempt to catch Sebastian and your best man in flagrante. It included a graphic description of all the marks you had left on his chest, so maybe save yourself the pain and don't ask."

How Dave's wedding day could be his happiest day ever, yet also amount to a collection of his most embarrassing moments in recent history, he hadn't quite figured out. "She told you all of that?"

"Yep. Apparently there's one that looks like a rabbit humping a unicorn, so…creative work, I guess."

"Oh! That'd be the one right down near my—" Sebastian's voice was teasing and Dave was very tempted to clap a hand over his mouth.

"_Anyway_," Kurt interrupted Sebastian, who gave Dave a mischievous wink. "I thought I'd say congratulations. You know, before the dancing starts and everyone gets super wasted."

"Thanks, Kurt."

Kurt shook his head with a small smile. "It's just…can you believe we're here? I mean, if someone had told me back in junior year that you'd give up on slushying the glee club and threatening me with_ The Fury_...that one day you'd be marrying a man while I was a guest at your wedding, I would have called the local nuthouse."

Oh, no. He _didn't_.

"'The Fury'?"

Dave's stomach twisted on itself at the curious amusement in Sebastian's tone. He was _never_ going to live this down. "I, uh," he coughed a little then cleared his throat, "that's…what I used to call my fist." He said it fast and kind of quiet, hoping it would make it a little less mortifying, somehow. But it didn't.

"Is it _really_?" Dave didn't want to look at Sebastian, but he couldn't help himself. When he did, the way Sebastian's eyes were sparkling made it almost worth the future humiliation he knew he'd end up suffering. Sebastian loved to make Dave blush. Dave had maybe built up a bit of resistance to it, but then Sebastian always found new and effective things to use against him. He had a feeling this one was never going to go away.

"Shut up, Seb," he said, but there was no heat or force behind it. Sebastian's mouth quirked and Dave liked that look on him, even knowing he was going to be embarrassed by whatever it led to. He couldn't be mad, though, because he did the same to Sebastian whenever he got the chance.

Which was sadly rare, in comparison.

"I can't believe you wasted a name like _The Fury_ on your fist when you could have used it for that magnificent—"

Unlike earlier, Dave didn't hesitate and clapped his hand over Sebastian's mouth quickly. Sebastian didn't look at all bothered by it; just sent Dave his most entertained look and licked a warm stripe across his palm. It probably shouldn't have made Dave want to kiss him, but it did. Something about the moment was so ridiculous that Dave had to stifle his own snort of laughter and drop his hand, just so he could lean in a little closer and—

"Well!" Kurt exclaimed and Dave pulled back, wondering exactly _how_ he'd forgotten Kurt had been standing right there. "I'm really glad you're happy," Kurt said quickly but sincerely, "I knew it would happen one day, even if I would never have guessed who'd be the one to make you that way." He eyed Sebastian for a moment, then added, "And Sebastian…"

"Let me guess," Sebastian cut him off. He squeezed his hand around Dave's still damp palm and shot him a wry grin. His tone was practiced, like he was reading from a book he knew inside out, but his eyes were still dancing. "If I hurt him you'll subject me to some form of cruel and unusual punishment which may or may not involve a shovel?"

"No, actually." Kurt shook his head with an honest smile that he looked like he was fighting every step of the way. "I was going to say that I'm glad you aren't who you used to be, either. I expected you to use Dave and to hurt him. I'm just really glad that you proved me wrong. So…thank you for that. And congratulations again on your wedding."

"Oh. Well...thanks, Hummel." Sebastian had an expression on his face that was torn between surprised and maybe a little worried, though Dave couldn't quite figure out why. Sebastian and Kurt had managed to be polite, mostly, for a few years; was it really that big a leap that Kurt might offer Sebastian an olive branch on his wedding day?

"That doesn't mean we're friends," Kurt told Sebastian. His voice sounded weirdly like he was trying to be reassuring. Sebastian let out a deep breath and sat back in his chair, visibly relieved.

"Oh, _thank God_."

Dave rolled his eyes at his husband. It was typical, really, and Dave didn't know what else he'd been expecting. Sebastian just grinned at him playfully. They'd only been married for a handful of hours, but Dave wasn't sure if it felt like everything had changed, or nothing had.

Maybe he'd been a little caught up in staring at Sebastian, because it seemed like Rick was there almost before Kurt had gone.

"Well…that was…interesting," he said, gesturing towards Kurt's retreating back and ignoring Sebastian's inelegant snort.

"That's one word for it," Dave said, nudging Sebastian's knee with his own and grinning at the innocent smile Sebastian shot him in response.

"Listen, David. Sebastian. Just in case I don't get the chance to say this later tonight, I wanted to offer you both my congratulations. It was a beautiful wedding and you two kids are obviously really happy together," his tone changed and he gave them a grin, "if Mr. Foster's recounts are anything to go by."

Sebastian wasn't the least bit bothered, snickering beside him, but Dave wanted to hide his face in his hands he was his normal color again. How he even managed to get embarrassed by _anything _after being with Sebastian for so long, he had no idea.

"Thanks," he said, trying to focus on the compliment and scrape together what was left of his dignity.

"You're welcome, and thank you for inviting me. Also, don't get so caught up by the honeymoon that you forget to come say hello when you pick up your degree at the end of the summer."

Dave was pretty certain it was actually a wedding wide conspiracy to mortify him at that point, and the way Sebastian was smirking over at him just proved it. He mustered every bit of nerve he'd developed since he first met Sebastian and grinned as shamelessly as he could manage, because the only way he was going to survive was to laugh it off.

"No promises. Pretty sure the honeymoon is going to be hot enough to melt both our brains."

Rick laughed, loudly and for a long while. "Well, put it in your calendar then, because I've got some ideas I want to run by you. That includes a plan for when you move to New York next year. I've got some contacts there, and I'd be more than happy to put some feelers out for work opportunities for you when the time comes."

"Really? Rick, that's…I don't know what to…_thank you_."

"Don't mention it, kid. You did a great job for me and you're gonna go somewhere one day, trust me on that. I'm glad to help."

Rick was already back at his table when the emcee began to gather everyone's attention. Dave was still trying to not beam like an idiot. He had a lot of respect for Rick, and it meant a lot that he was impressed enough with Dave as a student manager to put his reputation on the line with recommendations and reaching out to personal contacts. Sebastian kept giving him tiny, proud smiles and that wasn't helping Dave's dopey grin at all.

"Now everyone, please return to your seats; it's time for the happy couple to share their first dance as newlyweds."

Dave was nervous. Not as much as he'd been over remembering his vows, but nervous enough. He'd never been a particularly confident dancer. He could do it, he knew he could; they weren't doing anything complicated and besides, Sebastian could lead a blind elephant gracefully on the dance floor, but there were just so many people _watching_.

By the time they were out there and the center of attention, Dave's palms were clammy and he mumbled an apology when Sebastian's hand gripped his. Sebastian just gave him a reassuring look and pulled him in close.

"Relax, Growly. I've got you."

"_Write down, to remind yourself on how it can be, how it can be…Heartstrings, you're tugging at _

_my heartstrings, my heartstrings…"_

When Sebastian had suggested the song Dave had had doubts, but then he'd heard the acoustic version and knew it was perfect.

He shuffled in closer, until they were leaning into each other, Dave following Sebastian's lead for every movement.

Sebastian was singing softly along with the music, breath warm and comforting along Dave's neck, words low and smooth in his ear. It was easy, then, to stop worrying and let everything but Sebastian and the music melt away. The song was almost over before Dave realized it, and he couldn't even remember why he'd been so nervous in the first place.

"God you're good at this," he murmured. Dave was sure he couldn't have managed so easily if anyone else was leading him.

He could picture Sebastian's smirk, could feel it against his skin when Sebastian dropped a kiss against his neck.

"Well it's not like I'm going to let my husband look uncomfortable on a dance floor. What kind of performer would I be?"

Sebastian had called Dave his husband several times since the ceremony and Dave couldn't get enough of hearing it.

"_The closer I come to you, the closer I am to finding God. You're a miracle to me."_

When the song ended, Sebastian pulled away. Dave frowned; they still had the second dance – the one with the rest of the wedding party – but instead of waiting for the others to join them on the dance floor, Sebastian was plucking the microphone from the emcee's hand with a grin.

"Now we all know that the second song is for the whole wedding party, and I don't really want to deprive anyone of the sight of Tim and Marcus slow dancing to a classic love ballad," Sebastian said as he gestured towards the two best men, "but I actually wanted to surprise Dave so I changed the song up a little. And at the risk of sounding narcissistic—"

"You? Never!" Dave had no idea what Sebastian had planned, but he couldn't help himself. If Sebastian was going to put him on the spot, Dave was going to do the same right back.

"My loving husband, everyone," Sebastian laughed, smiling broadly and looking incredible enough that for a moment Dave's chest felt so full he thought his heart might burst. "Anyway, at the risk of sounding narcissistic, you're all in for a treat. Tim, Marcus, you can still slow dance if the mood hits you, but this music is a little more upbeat so I won't force you into it. Until later, that is."

To Dave's relief, Sebastian returned the mic to the emcee and rejoined him on the dance floor. For a moment Dave had thought Sebastian was going to sing to him, and he loved that, he honestly did, but he'd have felt weird standing on the dance floor alone while the wedding party danced around him.

It only took a few moments for Dave to recognize the song once the music started, and when he did he laughed.

"_The sun goes down, the stars come out, and all that counts is here and now. My universe will never be the same. I'm glad you came…"_

Sebastian had gotten hold of a pretty good quality recording of the Warblers' performance from _years_ ago. The sound was clearer than on the YouTube video he'd watched more times than he could count and Dave couldn't wipe the stupid smile off his face.

"You never told me you had this," he said and Sebastian shook his head.

"Because I didn't. But I did a little digging."

Dave was barely focusing on their movements, but Sebastian was doing a great job of moving them to the tempo so he didn't need to. Sebastian was singing along happily, and every now and then he'd pull back to do something fast and more complicated than Dave wanted to think about. Thankfully, he was never away for long enough to make Dave feel awkward, only to make him laugh when Sebastian pulled him into place again.

Tim and Marcus were to their right; Tim looked completely lost and uncoordinated while Marcus was showing off outrageously. His dad and Charlotte were on their left, looking less ridiculous but still having fun.

"I'm surprised you're not up there singing this live, to be honest," Dave said when the song began winding down. "I know you love to perform."

"It's our wedding day, Growly. I know there'll be days when I want to spend more than a minute away from you…maybe even most days. But definitely not today."

"Most days, huh? Geez, I'm really feeling the love."

"I'm just being realistic. But speaking of feeling the love," Sebastian's voice dropped lower and his lip curled just a little, "just think about how much married people sex we're going to have. Is there a record? Because I think we could beat it. Hell, I think we could beat it _tonight_."

Dave shook his head, but he knew he wasn't fooling Sebastian when he couldn't even keep the grin off his face. "You're a menace."

The song was over and another was starting, one of the longer, slower songs that Dave didn't really know but had liked when Sebastian got him to listen to it. It was slow enough that they didn't even really need to dance, so much as hold each other close and just move with the music.

"You _married me_," Sebastian pointed out. It was supposed to be a joke, but there was a thread of wonder in his tone that made Dave's stomach twist pleasantly.

"I did." His voice came out soft and he probably sounded like something out of a bad rom-com, but it was his wedding day, so he figured he was allowed.

"No regrets?"

_Never, _he wanted to say. "Only that we can't leave the reception for at least another hour."

Sebastian leaned back a little to meet Dave's gaze. His eyes were bright with happiness and amusement was written all over his face. "You are _literally_ my soulmate. I think I'll keep you."

"You have to now," Dave joked. "You put a ring on it."

"I cannot _believe_ you just quoted Beyoncé at me," Sebastian said, blinking. "What on earth happened to you?"

Dave shrugged and pulled Sebastian close again. "They say marriage changes you."

Sebastian laughed, leaning his forehead against Dave's. "I love you. I don't think I say it enough."

"I know you love me," Dave said, "but I'll never get tired of hearing it."

They were quiet for a moment, until Sebastian made a tiny noise of impatience and tugged on the hair at the base of Dave's skull.

"Anything you want to say to me?" he suggested without a hint of subtlety.

"I put a ring on it, too," Dave answered, mouth twitching as he fought back a grin.

"You're such an asshole," Sebastian huffed, but he curled even closer and Dave could feel the smile against his cheek.

"That's why we work. I love you too, Seb."

* * *

**End Notes:** Fun fact: the final fic in this series is called "Heartstrings" and has been planned that way since basically the beginning. When I was looking for an appropriate song I got unreasonably excited that the one that felt right also contained the word heartstrings.

I have a whole lot of headcanon for this series so if there's anything you're curious about that hasn't been included in a fic (and isn't about the future that may contain spoilers), come and ask me on tumblr. I'm slythatheart there, too.

I've obviously invented some original characters (and apparently grew more attached to them than I realized) so feel free to ask about them as well. :)


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